


The Alpha Dominance Principle

by The_Midnight_Elements



Category: The Big Bang Theory (TV)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - BDSM, Dom/sub, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2019-11-12 18:01:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18015665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Midnight_Elements/pseuds/The_Midnight_Elements
Summary: Sheldon Cooper believes in a multiple dimension and multiple universe theorem. That one change can alert everything. This is the story about what would happen if the books of Mr.Sade and Mr. Sacher-Masoch were accepted. Shenny.





	1. Chapter 1

Dr. Sheldon Cooper believes in that there are multiple universes, each having a different spin off of another. Funny thing about this, is that he is right. There are 26 different dimensions. This story deals with the Sheldon Cooper and Penelope of one of those dimensions. In the 17th century Marquis de Sade and Leopold von Sacher-Masoch wrote books that, instead of being deemed as inappropriate and wrong as it is in the current dimension, revolutionized the way people interact with one another. Over time, society began to define people by their sexual identifications. Instead of deciding ones partner by their physical prowess or their intelligence, partners are chosen by whether or not they are a Dominant or Submissive and to what degree they are that way. The dichotomy that are used to define the degree of domination or submission is the typical Alpha, Beta, and Omega schematic.

That is the norm of this dimension. It is how things work and how things would always work. This is that dimension's story of Penny and Sheldon.

" _Significant Improvement over the old neighbor" Said a slightly nasally voice behind her. She didn't bother to respond, instead she pretended to be looking at the book in her hand. She had been warned that she would become neighbors with two submissive geniuses. One of the said geniuses was partially nuts. She knew by ignoring them, until she chose to acknowledge them, would give off the hint she was a dominant. Which wasn't true, but it was what she chose to go by. Plus who would question her? No one lied about their Nature Tendency._

" _Compared to the two hundred pound transvestite with a skin condition? Yes, she is." Came a critical and bland tone. She knitted her brow knitted for a moment. That tone sounded off for a submissive. She dismissed that thought as she turned to look at them. She gave them a friendly smile. She remembered from her research that submissive types were easily skittish. Mix the social awkwardness that came with being a Genius and the submissive side of them, and they were to be as skittish as a new born colt._

_After exchanging hellos and an awkward moment of sexual confusion, they introduced themselves._

" _I'm your new neighbor. Penny, Omega Dominant."_

"  _I'm Leonard, this is Sheldon. Beta Submissives" The short one said. There was a twitch in the tall one's eye. Tilting her head to one side, she peered at the taller one. Something about him called instincts she had long since repressed to the surface. Damn it, she mentally cursed before she played it off. Looking back, she should have known that was the first sign that her life was going to change._

Penny jerked awake, sitting up straight and looking around for danger. She found her apartment empty and silent. She took a deep calming breath, bringing her knees up the her chest and letting it shakily out. After a year she was still suffering the effects of letting an Alpha too close. Thankfully Kurt had only been a Beta Dominant, or else she would be worse then she is. This is why her dad taught her how to fake being a Dominant. She was safer as a Dominant then letting the world know her true Natural Tendency. Her father taught her how to shoot, fight, play sports and act like a dominant. He knew the world would try to confiscate her, possess her and would likely ruin her. So he taught her how to survive. As an Alpha Submissive, it would be expected of her to just give herself over to the alphas of the world. To be groomed to be the perfect pet. It was only natural. But she would never be allowed to have her own partner. Alphas were too rare to have partners. The chances of her meeting an Alpha Dominant that would be able to give her all that she needed was next to impossible.

' _Or improbable, as Sheldon would say'_ She thought bitterly to herself as she got out of bed. She checked the time. 10:58am. She quirked a brow at the time. It was likely that Sheldon would be knocking at her door any moment to talk to her about something strange. She made herself a cup of coffee, leaving room for milk that she would get from next door. Sheldon always asked her about something and as they talked she would walk into his apartment and pour some milk into her coffee. At first he had complained and lectured her about being a free loader, but eventually he let it go.

_Knock Knock Knock_

"Penny" A smile came to her lips as she picked up her mug, taking her time as she walked to the door.

_Knock Knock Knock_

"Penny" She stopped by the door and held her hand out over the handle, waiting for his last set of knocks. She could have interrupted him, but she knew he took a sense of peace from the ritual.

_Knock Knock Knock_

"Penny" She opened the door to find Sheldon standing there, hand behind his back and looking at her expectantly. She gave him a smile.

"Yes MoonPie?" She asked with a grin, noticing the way his eye twitched at the nick name.

"No one calls me Moon Pie but MeeMaw" He said in an almost exasperated tone. He of course had told her this plenty of times, but she chose to ignore it. She liked calling him something that no one else could. It gave her a strange sense of intimacy with him. She tapped her foot, waiting for him to get talking and turn towards his apartment. He stared at her with a peculiar way before he turned towards his apartment.

"I came by to ask if you were going to be a part of our paint ball team once more. We are playing against the other departments again and I find that having an aesthetically pleasing female on our team gives us a huge advantage." As he spoke he walked back into the house, finding Leonard already awake and looking at him with pure contempt. He could honestly care less. He liked talking with Penny and interacting with her. He walked to the refrigerator and grabbed the milk. He took Penny's cup and proceeded to fill it to the exact measurement she liked before handing the cup back and putting the milk away. He turned back around and jumped a little, noticing both Penny and Leonard were staring at him.

"What?"

"Did you just...fill up Penny's coffee cup with milk?" Leonard asked in a higher tone, as if he was on the verge of freaking out. Sheldon raised a brow at Leonard before it came to him that Leonard may think that he was trying to seduce Penny by showing how good of a 'submissive' he could be. He let out a breathy laugh at that, glad that his actions were seen as ones of courtship to a Dominant. He shrugged, not caring that they were still staring at him like he lost his mind. Must have been him letting out the laugh.

"I just didn't want her to put the milk in without the lid on tightly." He said easily, knowing that it was partially true. He did not condone lying and did not like to do so, but he was okay with giving half truths. They were still the truth, but the truest intention was hidden from the listener.

They seemed to take that, which was good, because Sheldon did not work the last 15 years hiding the fact he was an Alpha Dominant from the rest of the world to ruin his solitude now. No, he had hidden the fact from everyone far too long to allow himself to slip up now.

He looked at Penny expectantly, noticing the way she shifted a bit to avoid Leonard's kiss on the cheek. He found it interesting that she was avoiding the other man's touch. It would seem that he was right about how their relationship was not going to last. He was always right. He continued to stare at Penny, waiting for her answer.

"Oh, sure I would love to join your paint ball group." She said with a smile that did not quite reach her eyes. Sheldon noticed this. Strange as that might be to other people, Sheldon was well versed in the subtle nuances of emotions and body language. He figured it was a natural ability that steamed from the fact he had a natural tendency of an Alpha Dominant. His nature was one of superiority, protection and control. In order to protect a submissive, one had to be versed in the ability to read between the proverbial lines and that came from understanding body language. Not that it mattered much in Sheldon's world. He planned to never find a submissive. He did the math. Being an Alpha Dominant meant that he was a part of a group that was only 1% of the entire population. That accompanied with the fact he had an eidetic memory and an IQ of 187, on a bad day, meant that he had a .005% chance to find a proper mate. His mate would have to be an Alpha submissive, which were .5% of the entire population, and have to be a person who was physically talented to make up for the fact he was a thinker instead of a manual labor type of person. That way the relationship would be balanced. So as a child, already abused, abandoned and alone, he gave up on seeking a mate. He made the world think he was a submissive to make life easier for himself. That way he was left alone and allowed to do his research. Alpha males were always forced into positions of power because their natural tendency made it so that they were talented in leading the masses. None of that allowed for him to study and prove the string theory.

He looked over at Leonard, and found him staring at Penny like the moon was hung on her. The two had broken up 4 months ago, and Sheldon was still not sure of the fact that Leonard clearly could not see how wrong Penny was for him. Leonard needed a woman who was nerdy like him but also thought he was more attractive then she, since Leonard lacked the self confidence needed to have a girl as secure as Penny.

' _Hopefully paint ball will finally drive home how off they were for one another. One can only hope.'_  He thought, finding a strange darkness come over him at the thought of Leonard not getting that Penny and him were not good for one another. He would explore the reason behind this dark thought process later, when Penny was safely back in her room.


	2. The "Unnatural" Reaction

There was something to be said about waking up at 6 am to go out into the woods in order to shoot at people. That is was awesome. While Penny normally did not wake up until about 11 am on saturdays, she would gladly deprive herself a couple of hours of sleep to go out and prove to the Geeks that she was better than them in something. They never expected her to be a natural marksman nor that she could slip in and out of enemy territory without a single paint ball hitting her. Yeah, she was that good. It was what her father had taught her after all. They were in the shed, Leonard and Sheldon getting into to it about the plan. They had 30 minutes before the actual game began and already they were fighting. She never understood why Leonard fought with Sheldon when it was clear that the taller of the two was right the majority of the time.

She leaned back against the shed and saw some of the other department spreading out into different area. She smirked a bit, knowing that this information would play a critical role once she was given the okay to go out and scout the area. Sheldon always assigned her that job in the first five minutes of the game. She normally achieved above and beyond his desired results. There was something pleasing about him praising her. She never expected to like another person praising her talents, especially not when the person was a submissive. She looked over at the Geeks and found Sheldon peering at her in that strange way again. It was like he found one of her flaws and was picking it apart just by staring at her. She raised a brow and gave him a death glare, hoping he would back off. He did not, instead he continued to unnerve her with his stare.

"Penny...Go. You have two minutes, if you are not back in the allotted time, I will have to retrieve you and I will not like that." He said in an even tone, letting her know in his own way that he would not let her be lost to his side of the fight. Kinda sweet...in it's own way. She gave him a mock salute and she was out.

She moved silently and effortlessly through the woods. She even walked directly behind the opponent, not laughing at the fact that she was better than the nerds at paint ball. No, that she was better hunter then the nerds. She had the survival instincts that they were lacking. The skills that made her an Alpha, no matter what sexual tendency. She finished her scoping and was heading back, knowing she could make it back in the 30 seconds her watch dictated she had left. Or, she would have made it back if it was for a barrel of a paint ball gun lodging itself under her chin and her body being forced back against a tree. She growled a bit when Dr. Gablehauser effectively trapped her between him and the tree behind her. This was not good. She knew very well that he had been laying in wait for one of their team to appear. Why else would he had been in that area?

"Well...Well...Well...Looks like I found myself a pretty penny." He said with a heavy breath. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. He was starting to remind her of Kurt. She knew he was a Beta Dominant. But surely he was on the lower end of that. No, her senses were telling her that he must have only failed one or two of the Alpha tests. This was not good. The way this situation would play out depended on which tests he failed. She tiled her head up, staring him down. She was tense and on edge. She never liked having a dominant in her space, even more so when she was playing off being a dominant herself. She clenched and unclenched her gun.

"What do you want Gablehauser?" She spat, standing firm. She watched him shift the gun into his other hand before he caught her gaze. Damn it. She felt her hand become slack. Fuck, she was slipping. It seemed that he didn't fail the enthrallment test. She struggled mentally to overcome the need to sink down before him. She blinked, keeping her face cool. The blinking kept the gaze from taking affect. She returned the stare mildly, knowing she couldn't use any of her own submissive techniques to get out of the situation. If she did, her cover was blown and her life as she knew it now would cease to exist. She used that to keep her tendency in check.

"I want to know what it is about you that makes my heart race. For an Omega Dominant, you create a very strong chemistry in me...so tell me Penny, what are you hiding?" He asked, his hand reaching up to touch her wrist. She smacked it away easily. She wasn't an Omega Submissive who was susceptible to the more subtle techniques like the wrist holding. No, she could easily overcome the Shackle affect.

His face grew stormy at her blatant rejection. No one rejected him. He was on the higher end of the Beta chart, he would be damned if some stupid Omega dismissed him. He reached up and grabbed her shoulder, forcing his thumb to press on the junction between her neck and collarbone. She straightened and felt her hands go absolutely slack. Her paint ball gun dangled off of her finger tips as her eyes snapped shut. She let out a soft...growl, that to the trained ear could be taken as a whimper. This was not at all how she wanted things to go. Her mind was already receding backwards, her subspace moving closer to the surface.

The move was a one that challenged a person's dominance. Any normal dominant would have shoved their fist into Gablehauser's face. But as a submissive it the most basic need to please and submit. For an Alpha Submissive, it was stronger. That move triggered the subspace and if the submissive chose, they would fall into the space. Penny struggled to force it down, remembering her father's words. She was caught between reality and subspace, her able to truly know what was going on. She was scared out of her mind, because she knew she was stuck at the mercy of a dangerous Beta Dominant.

**. . .**

Sheldon mentally sighed, not believing that he was actually arguing with Leonard about his plan. He never understood the little man complex. Leonard always seemed to want to whine and throw a fit to get his way. If he wanted to, Sheldon could easily put the little Beta Submissive in his place. But again that would blow his mask. So instead he presented logical and clear arguments as to why Leonard was wrong. Though part of the way through Leonard gave up and threw up his hands, tying to draw Koothrappali and Wolowitz into the argument. This gave him a chance to stare at their Ace in the whole. He just watched as Penny stared off out into the battle field. He watched her face move through a range of emotions, from arrogance to being proud of something. He also noticed how her body seemed so relaxed. He made note of this because instead of being relaxed in an upward and strong posture, she was relaxed in a softer position, almost curled in on herself a bit. Strange, he noted before she turned and looked at him. He stared at her, trying to figure out what was going on in that mind of hers. She was an enigma to him, often times doing things that made little sense.

He knew the time, having an internal clock that was precise was a great asset. He nodded to her, ignoring how Leonard was protesting behind him, something about loosing Penny would guarantee they would lose, like he did not equate for that already. But the one thing he would bet on, was Penny's skills in a physical situation such as this one. She had on many occasions proven to be a formidable opponent in physical battles.

"Penny...Go. You have two minutes, if you are not back in the allotted time, I will have to retrieve you and I will not like that." He made sure to keep his tone clear and with an undertone of authority. Or overtone, which ever was heard the most. He rolled his eyes when she gave him a mock salute and left.

"I can't believe you are forcing Penny to do reconnaissance. Her assets would be better used in shooting, not spying!" Leonard complained, shifting in place and fixing his glasses. He would never understand why the submissive was so enamored with the female dominant. It wasn't like their relationship was based on anything more than sex.

"I would love to better the use her assets." Sheldon twitched and shot Wolowitz a scathing glare. He never liked the Omega Dominant. The man was not as smart as the rest of the group nor was he as high on the Nature scale as the other men.

"Wolowitz you would do well to mind your words. Now is not the time for sexualized comments" Sheldon said as he looked at his watch. Two minutes had come and passed. Not a good sign. Penny was never late.

"I must go fetch Penny, stay here" With that he left, ignoring the protests that followed. He moved effortlessly through the shadows, keeping himself from being seen. He paused and pushed himself into a tree, watching as Gablehauser moved to touch Penny's wrist only to be knocked off. He heard everything, Vulcan hearing and all. He frowned, finding Penny's body language to be off for a Dominant in this situation. The Alpha Dominant in him was on high alert when the man grabbed Penny's shoulder. The slacked wrist and the fear in Penny's eyes were enough of a sign to Sheldon that this had to be stopped.

He reached into his pocket and shook out something from a vial he had place there early that morning. It was a black paint ball. No team had black paint balls. He had froze exactly 5 black paint balls each time they went out to battle, knowing that when he chose to use them, each would be in a different state of defrosting. Sheldon chose how hard the paint ball he would use would be depending on the severity of the transgression. Even though he played a Beta Submissive, did not mean he did not sub-come to his true nature. He knew very well that Dominants liked to harass submissive during games like this. He slid the mildly frozen paint ball into the chamber and took aim at the nape of Gablehauser's neck. He shot the man leaning into Penny. The paintball hit the exposed flesh there, the force was enough to knock the man out. Gablehauser fell to the ground.

Sheldon walked quickly over to the fallen man, shot him with some regular paint balls. He looked at Penny, figuring she would take her shots in as well. But what he saw bothered him. She looked...trapped. That was only way to describe it. Her hands were slack put she was tense. Her eyes were coming in and out of focus. Each passing second she looked more and more dazed. Sheldon looked around quickly before he took a deep breath and let what he had long since repressed come to the surface. He stood taller, his aura pushing out and his eyes darkened to a cobalt blue. He walked closer to Penny, setting his hands on her shoulders. Instead of coming out, like any dominant would, she seemed to withdraw herself into a deeper daze into herself. This was all wrong for a dominant.

' _But all right for a submissive'_  He thought before he pushed Penny closer to the tree, his mind rapidly going through how he was going to pull this...submissive out of her forced subspace. He crowded her space, knowing that if his theory was right, which is normally was, this would give her senses only one thing to focus on; him. He placed one hand on the right side of her head and leaned down to her ear. He knocked on the tree trunk beside the ear where his mouth now hovered.

_Knock Knock Knock_

"Penny" He whispered in her ear as he took a step back. He watched her eyes focus outward as he moved back. Her eyes blinked part of the glazed over look away.

_Knock Knock Knock_

"Penny" He took another step away, this time she shook her head, coming even more out of the daze. She turned her face up to his, staring at him with blank look. At least she was part way out.

_Knock Knock Knock_

"Penny" He said louder this time. She snapped out of it. She shook her head and looked around like a scare rabbit. Her eyes eventually landed on Sheldon. She looked confused and almost angry.

"Yes Sheldon?"

"You were late. I forgive you since you took Gablehauser out of the game. Come, we have to implement the plan." With that Sheldon turned on his heels and left Penny standing there with a confused look on her face. She looked down at the gun in her hand and then the unconscious Gablehauser. She was confused as to what happened, but for now she had to focus on winning this game. To prove she had worth even though she wasn't a genius like the rest of her circle of friends.

To say they reigned supreme over the battle field was an understatement. With Sheldon's strategy and Penny's instinctual fighting skills, they won the paint ball war without breaking a sweat. Penny let out a happy squeal and hugged Sheldon tightly, bouncing up and down with him before she gave Leonard a hug as well. They were ecstatic. This was the first time they won the game without much effort. True Howard and Raj ended up getting out earlier and Leonard ended up twisting his ankle, but Penny and Sheldon conquered with ease. It was like they moved as one. It was creepy to anyone who had the unfortunate fate to cross their path.

Once back in their respective apartments, Sheldon walked to his chair and began to type up his observations of Penny. More over, he typed up his interactions with her that happened just after Gablehauser grabbed her. The way her face looked, how her reactions were to the situation. Something was off, he could tell. He was not one to over look the facts. And all the facts pointed to a lie, a very big lie.

' _Or a very promising lie. We shall see how she reacts when I start to be...nice to her. Surely Leonard will not be smart enough to pick up on it.'_  He stood up and grabbed his key. When Leonard inquired where he was going, Sheldon gave him a shrug.

"I am going to the market to get some chocolates. I will return shortly, try not to upset Penny while I am gone" With that Sheldon left, knowing he needed chocolate pieces that would be pleasant enough for Penny to desire them.


	3. Chocolate Training

Sheldon rearranged the refrigerator so that the chocolates that he bought were in an easily accessible place. While they did not need to be refrigerated due to the fact he maintained the apartment at an even temperature of 71 degrees, which allowed for the chocolate to soften a bit but not melt. But at the same time, he wanted also to make sure that no one else chose to take the chocolates without permission. They were not for everyone. The chocolates were for the discovery of Penny's hidden side.

It had been a fortnight since Sheldon found Penny trapped in a state that did not match the omega dominant she claimed as her natural tendency. During that time he had stockpiled enough chocolate to conduct the experiment for the next two weeks, as well as created a list of things that he had overlooked about Penny the past year and a half. An eidetic memory made it easy to recall all the things that had not made any sense at the time. He had looked over the list and came to the conclusion that Penny may just be a Submissive. Which confused Sheldon. What good would it do her to lie about something like that? While he had a very good reason to hide the fact he was a Alpha Dominant, why would she do it?

He did not know, but he now had the chance to prove or disprove his theory of her Tendency. Even though he could find enough evidence to show that she was in fact a Submissive, he could not do the same for her Nature. That would have to come directly from her in time. He closed the refrigerator, picking up the bowl that contained a specific number of chocolates for the day's experiment. He walked over to his spot and set the bowl down on the side table. He checked the time, making a quick calculation before he walked over to his laptop. He sat down and began to write down the method of analysis he would take to see if his theory were correct. A knock on the door took him away from his typing. He paused, waiting. If it was Penny she would knock maybe one more time before just barging in.

Sure enough, just as he turned his chair around on the second knock, in came Penny. She was wearing baggy sweat pants and a loose top. It appeared as though she had just taken a shower as well. It seemed he had been so focused on his typing that he never heard her return home. He watched as she threw herself down on the couch, making sure to take her spot, the one directly next to his own.

"What's the gist, Physicist?" She said, tucking herself into the couch. For some reason, the move made Sheldon think about how vulnerable she looked. He raised a brow at the little rhyme that she said, finding it a little amusing that she felt the need to create such a whimsical sentence.

"Penny, while I understand you have the need to express your...whimsical side, I do not understand why you constantly find the need to put your feet on the couch. Do you know the number of germs there likely is among your apartment and the hallway? I can do the calculations, if you want" As he spoke he stood up and walked over to his spot. He bent down and picked up two chocolates. He ate one of them, and as he watched, her green eyes stared at him for a moment before she slowly untucked her legs from under her and put them on the ground. Sheldon offered the other chocolate in his hand. Her eyes lit up happily as she took the chocolate and ate it. She actually seemed pleased to have some kind of reward like that. It offered Sheldon a momentary glimpse into the woman hidden beneath the Dominant mask.

"So, Penny, tell me how is your financial situation?" He asked as he sat down in his spot. He turned on the Sy-Fy channel, knowing that either Firefly or Star Trek would be on. Either way, he figured the TV would offer as a distraction. That way it seems like he was making small talk. Plus, he always inquired about her financial situation whenever it came towards the end of the month. He did not like the idea of her not being able to eat or survive. That was a part of his Nature as well as his Tendency.

She shrugged, never one to talk about such things with people other than Sheldon. She always felt comfortable enough to talk with him about it because he honestly seemed to care and never acted like she was stupid for the financial situations she got herself in.

"Things are fine. I mean I will have to wait a week or two after I pay my rent before I go out and get my monthly groceries, but that's fine. I have a good handle on things so far. Plus I've made good tips the last couple of days." She said casually. She fell silent watching the TV. It was not long before Howard, Raj and of course Leonard returned from work with the Chinese Food. Penny seemed to shift in her spot, almost as if she was suddenly uncomfortable. Perhaps she did not know that her inability to maintain her finances was a sign of something more serious. But Sheldon said nothing on that fact, instead he watched as Leonard began to shift closer to Penny.

"So, Penny, are you seeing anyone? I know you haven't had many people coming over lately" He said in a hesitant voice. Penny on the inside was freaking out. She deeply regretted leading Leonard on. She honestly believed she could find love with him, but their relationship was based on a desire to do something different. Leonard wanted a hot girlfriend who would have sex with him and Penny wanted a submissive who could cover for her. She wanted someone not like Kurt. She felt Leonard's hand on her lap and she almost jumped right out of her skin. She looked at Leonard for a moment.

"Leonard, Sweetie, I don't think that would be a good idea. I can't lose you guys and as much as I know it would be okay eventually should we try again...I do not think you could be able to handle another break up." She whispered, suddenly feeling awkward. She stood up and walked out, leaving her appetite there. She was about to close the door when Sheldon walked behind her, carrying a plate with food on it. He set it down on the table before her couch.

"Sit" He said and it was almost surprising to see her sit down as told. He offered her two chocolates in his hand, watching as her eyes brightened a bit as she took them. He was rewarding her for...having the strength not to make the same mistake twice. He sat down in the chair she had gotten for him. She had made a space in her home for him, a sign that he mattered in her life. Which pleased him greatly. No one had ever considered him that much to actually go out and buy a chair for him to sit in. He motioned for her to eat as he leaned back and watched her. He noticed how unsettled she was by what Leonard had just done. Another sign she was not a Dominant as she had said she was.

Dominants had the ability to diffuse a submissive's emotions. What she had just done was walk away, or run away from the situation. Leonard had made Penny feel like an outsider in their group of friends, by simply speaking about rekindling their romantic relationship in front of everyone. It was the reason why Sheldon had walked out with Penny. He did not like the way Leonard had handled that situation. He took a moment to look around the apartment, finding it to be a mess still. Once he would think that Penny was extremely messy, but with the new information he was gaining from Penny, he saw the room differently. Submissive were known to be disorganized and absentminded without a Dominant there to guide them. It was making more and more sense now that he had taken a step back and reanalyzed his neighbor.

"Penny, I must say that I am glad that you avoided starting up with Leonard again. I mentioned before that the relationship was not advantageous for either party." He said in an even tone, watching as Penny continued to toy with the food. He knitted his brows together.

"Penelope, Eat. Now" The said the last part in a serious and huskier tone, his eyes staring her down. She sat up right before she nodded slowly and began to eat. She took even and consistent bites, not really thinking about anything but eating. She did not even realized she had eaten everything on her plate until Sheldon's hand came in her line of sight with a chocolate in his hand. She looked up at him, a bright smile on her lips and she took the chocolate and ate it happily. It felt well to get chocolates from Sheldon, it was almost as if he was showing that he approved of what she had done just before offering it to her. She slowly ate the chocolate, feeling something in her settle back down.

Sheldon watched her, curious of how easily she seemed to fall back into a submissive mind set. He had only just started and already she was starting to show her true tendency. Or perhaps she had always been this way, he just never had the right perspective on her at the time. It was strange how no one else noticed it. Sheldon watched as she picked up the remote and turned the tv on.

The Shopping channel was on. She left it there for a moment before she slowly turned her head, finding Sheldon staring at her with a brow raised. She continued to stare at him as she slowly shifted a bit before changing the channel to the BBC network, where Dr. Who was playing. She felt her heart flutter as he reached into his pocket and pulled out another chocolate and offered it to her. She took it and for a moment wondered why it was so natural to accept his reward. She shrugged it as she popped it into her mouth, finding the smooth rich chocolate to be heaven. It tasted so good and the fact it came from Sheldon made it even more delicious.

They spent the rest of the night watching . Eventually Sheldon left to go to bed, mentioning something about his REM cycles. Before he left he preceded to tell her that she should do the same. She rolled her eyes but jumped a little when she caught him glaring at her. She tried to glare back only to have the eyebrow of doom inflicted on her. She conceded that she would be retiring moment after he left. He gave her a nod, handed her one last chocolate and told her to brush her teeth before he entered his own apartment to go to bed.

**. . .**

A couple of days later, Sheldon was typing up his findings. He had been gaining positive results that were showing that Penny's true Tendency was indeed Submissive. He had rewards Penny for things that were advantageous for her. Unlike when Leonard and Penny were dating and he was trying to train things out of her and make her different, this time he was training her like a Dominant would. He actually did not want to change her. He found her to be dynamic and having the quality that he lacked. He was suddenly yanked out of his work by a rude Wolowitz bursting through the door.

"Guys, you will never guess what Bernadette asked me to do!" Howard exclaimed, waving his arms a bit in distress. Sheldon shot the man a mild look of distaste, wondering why it surprised him that Koothrapli and Wolowitz lacked the common decency to knock before entering someone's home.

"what?" Leonard asked, looking a little perplexed of what Bernadette could have asked of Wolowitz to have the little man so worked up. Howard looked back and forth before he closed the door, as if fearing Penny would hear what he was about to say.

"She asked if I could be..." He shivered a bit before hissing out the rest. "submissive for a night" Leonard looked uncomfortable at this. Sheldon figured this was because Howard was making it seem like it was a bad thing to be a submissive. Sheldon stood up slowly, placing his hand behind back as he prepared to, effortlessly, take Wolowitz apart piece by logical piece.

"I fail to see the issue in your statement." Sheldon said, clearly on the offense. He could tell that both Raj and Howard knew what was coming, because they shifted in place.

"Dude, Howard is a Dominant, not a submissive" Raj chid, sounding a little more confident then he looked. Sheldon raised a brow, waiting for a 'Bazinga' or a hint of sarcasm. When none came, he shook his head and sighed.

"Raj Raj Raj, Howard is an Omega Dominant." He paused, waiting for the 'Ohhs' to come. Instead, the occupants of the room looked even more perplexed, if that was even possible.

"I can see that the Social dynamic is lost on you all. Which, is surprising since I am often the one who does not adhere or understand social paradigms." He walked over to one of his clean white boards and picked up a marker. He drew out a normal distribution curve. He then shaded it in a gradient manner, the darkest part at one end of the graph then lightest at the other end. He bracketed two standard deviation on each side of the mean of the graph. He wrote Omega Dominant on the lightest side of the two brackets and Omega Submissive on the darkest. He filled in the rest before turning around and looking at his 'friends'. (A rough photo attached)

"This diagram shows the entire population divided into sections based on their Nature, and the gradation shows the Tendency scale. Their tendency being either Dominant or Submissive and their Nature being that of Alpha, Beta or Omega. As you can clearly see most of the population is Omega, but also note the way I shaded the section of Omegas. They are in the grey area. While one side is darker then the other, they inhabit the roughly the same shade of grey. Meaning that it would not be difficult for the average person to shift between Dominant and Submissive. That is, it would not be difficult for an Omega," He waved his hand at Raj and Howard before replacing it behind his back.

"As it would be for a Beta" He looked to Leonard this time, only the twitching of his hand gave away any of his other thoughts. He looked at Howard nodded his head, finally understanding why it should not be that difficult for the him to take on a submissive role for Bernadette. Plus if the man planned to keep his fiance happy, he would have to give in eventually. With that Sheldon walked back to his laptop, having had an epiphany during his lecture. He began to type up a rationalization of why Penny chose Omega Dominant.

He figured that way should she slip up a display some submissive traits, it would be written off as a part of her regular actions due to her being an Omega Dominant, able to shift between the two Tendencies. He leaned back once he was finished typing.

_'Well played, Penelope. Well played indeed'_  He thought as he came to realize just how clever the woman across the hall was in her guise. He stood up declaring it was time to do laundry. He walked into his room and picked up his laundry basket. He grabbed some chocolates on the way out of his apartment, figuring he could start training Penny on the proper way to do laundry tonight. He had his hand raised to knock on the door, but stopped short when he heard the conversation that was taking place just beyond the door's threshold.

"Dad, Please don't. Just listen to me. Kurt was not what I needed...he...well he wasn't it. I will find...It is clean...I swear! No I am...Dad, how do you know that for a fact?...Dad, what...LEONARD SAID WHAT?" Sheldon winced, his hand dropped back for a moment, feeling almost bad for listening in on the conversation, but he could not help that his hearing was acute.

"Dad, no. Don't do this, please. Just...just give me time. I will ..Dad? DAD!" There was a curse before something was thrown against the far wall. Sheldon could only presume that it was the phone she had been speaking into. There was silence on the other side of the door before a soft sound of sniffing could be heard. He straightened up, that piece of him that had awakened that day in the Paint Ball battle field bristled a bit at the thought of Penny's father was causing her distress and making her cry. He had observed that during his training and under his constant attention, Penny...well blossomed. She glowed with confidence and joy. She seemed to just be alive. Yet, after that phone conversation Sheldon actually worried that Penny would revert to the self-conscious and unsure of herself. Heck, even Leonard comments that made Penny look stupid did not phase her anymore.

Sheldon stood up straight and felt a strange darkness overcome him, one he had never experienced before. He knew his demeanor was changing and he knew that if any of his friend decided to come out of the apartment behind him, his mask would be blown. But for some inexplicable reason, he did not care much.

_Knock Knock Knock_

"Penny" He called but even he could hear the command in his voice as well as that bit of Texan drawl coming out.

_Knock Knock Knock_

"Penny" He could hear her walking to the door. He could almost feel her presence just beyond the door. He stepped closer to the door, taking a deep breath before finishing his ritual.

_Knock Knock Knock_

"Penny" The door came open slowly, revealing a rather sad looking Penny. Her eyes were red and she appeared to be frightened. He could understand the upset part, but perhaps he was misinterpreting the fear part. Or so he hoped. He shifted and tilted his head to one side.

"Yes, Sheldon?" She asked in a soft voice. He found he wanted nothing more then to drop his basket of laundry and wrap her up in his arms. But he did not, for his laundry was dirty enough, no need to dirty it more by dropping it. Plus he still was thought to be a Beta Submissive. He did not want her questioning his Natural Tendency.

"Tonight's Laundry night. Grab your basket, lets go." He said as if the most natural thing in the world. According to his schedule it was. Penny looked like she was going to decline with some petty excuse. He moved in closer to her, crowding her space for a moment.

"Do not try to decline. Go get your basket and let us continue about our routine." He said in a firm, unyielding tone. He could see her grow angry for moment, before she looked vaguely pleased. He was making it clear to her that things were going to be okay, even though she did not realize it as such. He was thankful that she gave a small nod and vanished back into her apartment. Sheldon took a quick glance around, noting that things were as they were supposed to be. Her apartment was clean and organized according to his plan. Good, it seemed that he had come at the perfect time. If she had been left alone after that bought with her father, the place would likely had been torn apart by morning with a hung over Penny asleep on the couch.

She walked out, carrying her basket of laundry. He nodded and strolled off to the laundry room, knowing she would follow. Silence was between them, but that was fine. Sheldon used that time to dissect the pleased feeling that came with her following his whims. She trusted that he knew what was right for her and that appealed to the hidden part of him. Her trust was well placed. He would never lead her astray or down a path that was not advantageous to her.

The rest of the night was more training for penny. He ordered her to follow his instructions on how to do laundry properly rewarding her when she did so, even if she did grumble and argue with him about it. He grew not to mind that she argued with him, it was her way of understanding why he wanted things the way he did as well as it gave her a sense of normalcy after the conversation he had over heard with her father.

A sense of foreboding came over Sheldon for a moment as his mind came to replay the words she had said in the conversation. It seemed that her father was going to bring Kurt back into her life, and he did not like that. Not one bit.


	4. The Forced Unveiling

The only way Sheldon could describe the way he was feeling was a common colloquialism. He was freaking out. He was experiencing a plethora of emotions that he was unable to process by himself. He was furious, confused and...afraid. He found himself waiting for the day when that brute of a man came to Penny's door across the hall. He did not look forward to that day.

That is why he found himself sitting in the apartment of Amy Farah Fowler. While he could have saved himself a lot of time by simply turning to Leonard in his time of crisis, he knew very well he could not do that. The only one person who knew he adorned a mask and was intelligent enough to decipher what was actually going on with him was Amy. Amy was a Beta Dominant and a genius just like him. They were compatible intellectually, but their Natures and Tendencies were too close to be a good match in a romantic relationship.

With a cup of tea in one hand, he sat perched on the end of her sofa. She sat on the other end of the couch, watching him like she would watch a primate specimen under going one of her experiments. When he finally decided it was time to get her advice on what he was experiencing, she spoke.

"I have observed, like your other colleagues, that your dynamic has altered in some form or manner. Yet I too, find myself at a loss as to what has caused this change. You come off more confident and your body language is that of a Alpha Dominant who is being challenged for the right to claim their beloved submissive. Tell me, what has brought on your Natural Tendency and why does it appear as though you are unable to resume your normal facade." Her sharp tone getting to the root of his own dilemma.

"Very astute observations. For that is the precise reason why I have come here, I am unable to adorn my facade of a Beta Submissive any longer, and it is starting to disrupt my schedule, something I strictly adhere to."

"When did you start to notice a shift in your mannerisms?"

"About a month before this date. I found pinning Penny to a tree. I took him out, not abnormal of me, then I found her in a daze. I found it odd that she, an 'Omega Dominant', would be in such a strong state of dissonance after being pinned to a tree." He actually did the air quote gesture when he said the word Omega Dominant. He clearly did not believe that to be true anymore, not with the cumulative data he gained in the past four weeks of training Penny.

"Interesting. That is one event however. Surely it is not enough to cause you to turn back towards your Natural Tendency after so many years of being opposite to it. Especially since you have spent the better part of your life trying to maintain your freedom through being a Beta Submissive"

"I suppose that it could also be that for the last four weeks, to prove my theory that Penny was lying about her Natural Tendency, I have been conducting an experiment that involves chocolate training her. I have concluded that she is in fact a submissive. During the experiment I found that I had utilized a great deal of my skills as an Alpha Dominant, rusty and unused as they may be." He said, completely unashamed that he had been training his friend and neighbor without her knowledge or her permission. He took a sip of his tea, finding the taste to be very comforting. He figured that since he was doing so without changing who she was as a person, that he was simply helping her better her life by doing what a Dominant should do for a Submissive. He paused, his train of thought catching him off guard. He tilted his head to one side.

"Fascinating. However by your actions alone, I can also conclude that she would also be a higher nature then that of an Omega. Maybe a beta but I would venture to say that she could very well be an Alpha." She said with a tone of reverence. It was that tone that caused Sheldon's hand to flex dangerously around the mug.

"That is unlikely. Highly improbable in fact." He noted how Amy shifted in place when he leveled her with a glare. He paused, looking away for a moment as he came to realize just how far his Beta Submissive mask had crumbled if he was making Amy , a Beta Dominant, squirm. That scared him even more. Years of pretending were slipping away all because of some slip of a girl.

"Be that as it may, she has exhibited strong traits of a Submissive with a high nature. Ones that are often attributed to an Alpha Submissive as well."

"Explain" He said sharply.

"She is self-destructive. She often drinks too much and too often. Her place is a chaotic mess, an indication of a chaotic mind. She often seeks out strangers for sex to avoid being alone in her apartment, and she seems to flourish under approval and wilts under criticism. All of this points to a woman who needs someone to be there for her and help her maintain some semblance of normalcy in her life." Amy explained with a curt nod.

"Fascinating." He took a moment to consider all that she had said as well as his prior finding from the experiment. He felt something similar to hope come to life in his chest. But he instantly squashed it, reminding himself that taking on a Submissive would take away his freedom as well as admitting that he had faked the results on his Tendency and Nature examinations.

"Under that assessment, I would have to conclude and concede that you very well maybe right."

"Yes, I know" She said with another nod.

"It would also explain why it is now difficult to hide my true Nature and Tendency. Should she actually be an Alpha Submissive, it would mean that the primitive part of my DNA sees her as a potential mate."

"True, however the dynamic you are exhibiting, like I said before, is that of an Alpha Dominant who is about to have his beloved submissive taken from him. So now I must ask, what has happened to my bestie that has drawn out this side of you?" Amy asked, a hint of anxiety in her tone. It was obvious to anyone that knew Amy that Penelope was her dearest friend.

"I overheard a conversation that she was having with her father. I have gathered that her father is attempting to get her Ex-Boyfriend, Kurt, back into her lif~"

"Kurt!" Amy exclaimed in a raised voice. This caused Sheldon to jump a bit, not expecting Amy to do something so illogical. He looked at her suspiciously as he set his mug down. He laid his hands down on his knees as he watched Amy look at the far wall, ashamed.

"Explain the cause of your outburst at the meantion of Kurt."

"I cannot, for the information was told to me in confidence."

"Can you answer yes and no question and still maintain that confidence?" He asked, knowing very well that she could do just that, since she was on par with his intelligence.

"Yes, I can."

He nodded, considering his next course of questions. He knew very well that he could get the necessary information for him to understand the cause of her distress at the name Kurt.

"Is he a Dominant?" He maintained eye contact with her, knowing very well that she could lie better than he could.

"Yes." She said with a nod.

"Beta?"

"Yes."

"Physically Strong?"

"Very."

"A 'Ladies Man'?"

"Correct."

"Long Term Relationship?"

"Yes"

"Abusive?"

"Yes"

Silence fell between them for obvious reasons. Sheldon had hoped that would not have been the case, but he knew very well the type of man Kurt was when the man pantsed him. Amy looked at the far wall, clearly ashamed by what she had just let slip. He had used a very common trick to get the information. Sheldon reached out and patted her knee before he spoke.

"What do you plan to do with the information you manipulated from me." Amy asked, suddenly interested in why Sheldon felt the need to have that particular question answered.

"I am not sure yet. But I suppose the first thing I need to figure out would be why Leonard would call Penny's father and inadvertently expose Penny to danger."

"That would be a logical next move, but may I make a suggestion?" Amy asked as Sheldon stood to leave. He had things he needed to get done in a short amount of time. He checked his watch for a moment and nodded to Amy to continue. He knew Leonard's schedule today as well as Penny's and he wanted to get home before either of them had it out over Leonard's betrayal.

"Think on you life as it once was and what it could be if Penny is truly an Alpha submissive and was at your side." Sheldon looked at Amy before he inclined his head, indicating that he would indeed do just that. He looked at his watch once more before he bid Amy good bye and left. He had a perfect window of time to get on the bus and arrive at the apartment at the same time Penny and Leonard would be arriving.

. . .

Sheldon ascended the stairs two at a time, hearing loud noises up on the fourth floor. He hated confrontations, but he knew that this was one confrontation he could not run from. He was on the third floor landing when he heard that it was Leonard and Penny shouting at each other in the hallway. He steeled himself as he walked up the final set of stairs.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME LEONARD?" Penny's voice cracking a bit at the end of her exclamation, as if she was in tears. It made Sheldon take the last flight of stairs three at a time. He stood there and saw that Penny was indeed in tears.

"YOU WOULDN'T GIVE ME A CHANCE! All I wanted was another chance. Penny, I can be a good submissive for you."

"So you called my father! YOU WANT TO BE MY SUBMISSIVE YET YOU BETRAY ME! No, I will never get in a relationship with a man who rats out my way of life to my father!" Sheldon moved between them and patted both of them on the shoulder.

"There, there. It'll be okay"

Penny smacked his hand away, only to earn a harsh glare from him. She looked ashamed for a moment before she went back to glaring at Leonard. Leonard had shrugged off Sheldon's hand and looked at his feet, not knowing how royally he had ruined his chances with Penny. He knew she was going to punish him now, like any Dominant would.

"Penny...I...I am sorry. I just wanted a Dominant. I thought that you were beautiful and I just wanted to be the submissive connected to that beauty."

"Dominant?" A masculine voice said from the stair well. There, leaning against the wall of the stairs, was Kurt in all his Steroid enhanced glory. Sheldon schooled his face with a mask of indifference even though internally he wanted to paralyze him from the neck down with one well placed hit.

"Penny ain't no Dominant. She is an Alpha Submissive with a back-talk problem" He said with an arrogant smirk as he walked over to Penny, who was now pressed against her door, fear in her eyes. Sheldon heard his knuckles pop and looked down to find his hands balled into fists. This was not good. Not good at all.

"Kurt, Go away, I don't want you here. Ever." Penny said in a serious tone, but it was obvious to Sheldon that her bravado was going to fail. Sheldon looked to his right to find Leonard looking shocked, hurt and scared. He looked up at the ceiling, wondering why things had turned out this way. He looked over at Penny and caught her gaze for a moment. He continued to stare at her, trying to give her a sense of strength. She seemed to gain some of that because some of the fear eased from her eyes. But it was quickly shattered by what Kurt said next.

"Thats too bad, because I just filed a Claiming Action against you." Kurt said with that cocky smirk still on his lips. Sheldon felt rage bubble up in his heart at that. Penny paled and began to shake before she turned her knob before her and darted swiftly into her apartment, slamming the door behind her. The deadbolt, the knob lock as well as the chain was put into place. Kurt just laughed and shot Sheldon and Leonard a look that obviously meant that he thought they were beneath him.

"Guess you geeks will be seeing more of me in the coming two weeks." He said with a laugh as he walked down the stairs, leaving a chaotic mess in his wake. Sheldon's eyes narrowed as his blue eyes darkened. His hand was being forced, he knew that much. He stalked into his apartment and threw himself down into the chair. He began to write the conclusion of his experiment. He needed to focus to keep himself from taking Leonard apart.

He was able to lose himself in his work for a hour and a half before Leonard finally broke the silence. Sadly, the man was born without the natural instinct to know when he was in grave danger.

"I cannot believe she had the audacity to claim that I lied to her, when in fact she, Penny, lied to me about her Natural Tendency. I mean who does that? Who does she think she is, playing with my emotions?" Leonard looked at him, as if excepting Sheldon to take his side. How wrong the shorter man was. So very wrong. Sheldon turned in his chair and stood up. He slowly walked to Leonard, no longer holding back who he was. He was going to show Leonard what exactly he just caused with his pathetic neediness.

"Leonard, you have not only proven to be an inadequate scientist but you proved today that you are also a pa~"

"Sheldon Copper, do not finish that sentence." Amy said, walking through the door suddenly. She stood in the door way, her glasses pushed all the way up her nose. She stared at Sheldon. Sheldon was standing at his full height. His hand clasped behind his back, and his blue eyes dark with pure rage. But it was the command that he had in his posture that was unnerving. She could tell that Leonard was ready to melt into the floor.

Amy could understand the feeling. Sheldon was completely in his alpha head space in that moment. Leonard had not only placed Penny's life and freedom in danger but he had also placed Sheldon in a situation that left the man with little options for rectification. Sheldon was not the type of man to allow himself to be backed into a corner by someone inferior to him. No, Sheldon played nice most times but now that he was fully in his Natural Tendency she knew that he was dangerous.

"Tell me, Amy Farah Fowler, why I should not punish this submissive for his actions"

"Because not only was he unaware of the damage he was causing, but he also did not know that his actions would risk Penny in such a way. Plus, you would do irreparable damage to his psyche in your current head space." Amy said with a logical explination. She knew if she approached any other way than logical, Sheldon would not take a step back. She watched him stare at her. She would not crack, for she knew logically that Sheldon was simply angered by the fact that Penny was now at risk of being owned by her abusive ex boyfriend. It was an understandable rage. Penny was a solid rock in Sheldon's life and the first real person who actually wanted to be around him even though he was hard to deal with.

"Also, I was just over at Penny's. She has found herself without tea for a soothing hot beverage. She needs someone over there to help her make it since she is so distraught and destroyed her once clean apartment." Amy watched as Sheldon's eye twitched. There was a moment of pause before the tall genius turned on his heels and walked into the kitchen. He grabbed all the items he would need to make her several cups of tea should she need more than one. Amy knew that Sheldon's need to take care of Penny would over take his need to hurt Leonard for the damage the man had caused.

Sheldon was almost to the door before he looked at Amy.

"You will take care of him." She nodded in affirmation, knowing very well that if she did not punish Leonard, then Sheldon would do it himself, the darker of two evils. Sheldon nodded and walked out of the apartment.

_Knock Knock Knock_

"Penny" He just noticed how his texan drawl was prominent now.

_Knock Knock Knock_

"Penny" He could hear her kicking things around and felt his hands twitch. She was ruining all his hard work on getting her to keep her home clean. Well, Kurt and Leonard were the cause of her need to destroy the things around her. Wild Submissive were never fun to deal with.

_Knock Knock Knock_

"Penny" This time he spoke her name like he would speak an order. He would not allow her to self destruct. Not this time and not while he was around to do anything about it.

He heard shuffling and cursing before the door was opened a bit. He noticed the chain still in place. He inwardly bristled.

"Let me in. I brought tea supplies." She seemed to hesitate before the door closed and the chain was removed. One she let him in, she locked her apartment down once more. He paused just inside the place and sighed. Sure enough she had tossed the place. Pillows and papers riddled the floors. He turned and stared at her for a moment, brow raised.

"Sit." It was clearly an order. She glared at him, hating him for having the audacity to order her. After what he had just seen, why would he do this to her? But as she struggled and glared and cursed at him, she walked to the couch and sat down. She crossed her arms and brought her feet underneath her. She glared at him.

Part of her knew that he was just being himself. He was always bossy and had to have things his way. She actually took peace from the fact he was acting as if he had not just heard that she was actually an Alpha Submissive instead of an Omega Dominant. Just Sheldon being...well Sheldon. She watched him as he shot her dark looks as he picked up the papers that were on the path to the kitchen. He was obviously unhappy about what she had done to her apartment. She couldn't help it. She was losing it. She was going to lose her life, her freedom and her chances of being truly happy. She jumped when she heard a snarl. Her head jerked up and looked at Sheldon who was staring at her with cold furious blue eyes. In his hand was a freshly opened bottle of wine. She looked ashamed for a moment, looking away from him, unable to meet his eyes.

She could hear him pour the wine down the drain before he set the tea kettle on the fire. He pulled mugs down from the cabinets. She held herself tighter, knowing that soon he would be unable to do this for her. She hiccuped a moment as tears spilled down her cheeks.

"What I am going to do Sheldon? He is going to make an official claim on me" She whispered brokenly, knowing very well that his Vulcan hearing would pick up her words. She heard him shift things around as he began to walk around the apartment, picking up the mess she had made.

"Who was your original Dominant on record?" He asked in a strained voice. She figured he was in distress over seeing her apartment in shambles after he helped her clean it up.

"My father, he told me that I should live as a Dominant in society but would allow him to protect me legally. But now that Kurt is filing Claiming Actions, my father will not do anything. He is too far away and from my last conversation with him, he feels that Kurt is a good Dominant for me...if only he knew." She whispered the last part to herself as she hugged herself tighter. She curled into a ball, shaking with fear. She knew her life would come to an end at the hands of Kurt. She would never be happy again, nor would she ever feel safe.

She jumped a bit when she felt a large hand rub large circles on her back.

"There, There. Sheldon's here" He said in a strong voice. She looked up and found him staring at her with this odd look on his face. She had never seen that look on his face before. Not in all the time she had known him. She wanted to jump up and hug him. Instead she uncurled and looked at him before biting her bottom lip.

"May...I have a hug?" She asked softly, knowing that she would not able to handle if she did spontaneously hug him and he shoved her away. Not in her current state. He moved away from her, and her felt her heart break a little. That is, until he moved to sit beside her. He reached out and dragged her into his lap before he wrapped his arms around her. His chin sat itself on the top of her head. She was surrounded by him. His arms around her, his head above her and his smell all around her. She suddenly melted into him as a sense of safety enveloped her. She let out a soft sigh. This is where she belonged. Deep down she knew that if Sheldon was a Dominant that he would be the perfect one for her.

' _If only if only.'_  She thought to herself, knowing very well that he could not be a Dominant. He was the worst liar ever. She felt her heart melt when he began to sing soft kitty to her. His hand began to rub circles on her back. She wanted to remain there in his arms forever.

"There, There...Sheldon's here...and I will figure out what to do" He said in an even tone. He stared at the wall behind the tv. He knew very well what he would have to do. He hated that he was going to have to reveal his Natural Tendency as well as take the exams all over again. But as he looked down at the submissive in his arms, he knew that she was worth it, even if she did not love him.

' _Yet, she does not love me yet'_  They remained like that till the tea was ready. A sense of peace overtook the apartment, as if the outside world had fallen away.


	5. The Highest Alpha To Date

"Ma'am, you have had a Claiming Action set against you. In order to be able to process this claim, you must schedule a re-evaluation examination of your Natural Tendency as soon as possible as the Claiming Action is being challenged by another."

"Who is challenging the claim? My father?" Penny asked, hope coming to life in her heart. Maybe her father was not surrendering his claim on her…maybe, just maybe.

"Negative. None of your kin have challenged the claim. The Challenger has…thoroughly expressed their desire to remain anonymous until the Challenge Day."

"Fine, is there time today to schedule the examination?"

"Yes, there is a slot open at 2pm, can you make that time?" Penny sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Not believing that she would have to actually retake that stupid test. She looked at the clock, finding it already 12:45. It would take her about 15 minutes to get ready and then 30 minutes to drive down to the Testing Facility.

"Yes, I can make it."

"Good, we will see you then. Good Day" The other line went dead, leaving Penny listening to the insistent beeping tone. She pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at the phone in her hand. She felt like her life was slowly circling the drain. She clicked the power button and tossed the phone onto the couch.

_Knock Knock Knock_

"Penny" She jumped a little bit, whirling around to stare at the door like it had grown a branch suddenly. She cautiously walked to the door, wondering why Sheldon was in the apartment building. It was a Thursday, he had work.

_Knock Knock Knock_

"Penny" She stopped by the door and held her hand out over the handle, waiting for his last set of knocks, still perplexed as to why he was there, but taking comfort in the fact that she may be able to con him into going to the Testing Facility

_Knock Knock Knock_

"Penny" She opened the door only to take a step back in shock. There was Cooper, wearing a pair of dark denim jeans and a button down that was actually un-tucked from the waistband. She stared at him, her mouth falling open.

"What are you wearing…No wait, Why are you wearing that?" She asked, taking another step back as he walked into her apartment. She watched as he gave the room a once over before giving her very un-Sheldon shrug.

"I found myself in need of wearing something different this morning. So I wore this outfit my sister sent me for Christmas last year. She keeps trying to get me to change my appearance." There was a hint of distaste in his tone but other then that, his face was completely blank. He stood there with his hands behind his back, as if waiting for her to say something.

"Well I agree with her. You actually look like an adult right now. Anyways, I was just about to head over to your place. I was wondering if you would come with me to the Testing Facility. I just got off the phone with some lady telling me that there has been a Challenge to the Claiming Action and something about how I need to get retested" She said, waving her hand in front of her face as if she was trying to clear the air. she found it ridiculous that she had to get retested, but there was nothing could do.

"Penny, today is Thursday. You now it is Halo night. I cannot possibly miss that." He said in an exasperated tone.

"Thats the beauty of it. I have to be there at 2pm. The test only lasts for an hour and a half, so by the time I'm done we can leave and you can get your own Thai food, you'll even be able to make sure they do your order right." She said, clasping her hands together as if she was begging him. She even gave him the puppy dog eyes. He looked at her then sighed.

"Oh alright. You know I cannot pass up the chance to make sure I get my order right." He said it as if he was doing her a huge favor. In reality, he was mentally going over the time it would take her to shower. He figured that while she showered he could make a call to the Testing office and schedule his exam at the same time as her own. That way he got his test out of the way as well. It was a win win for both of them.

"Sweet! I am going to shower. I will be out in fifteen" With that she ran off into her bedroom, hitting the shower.

Sheldon stood there until he heard the shower start. He waited a beat more, till he heard the spray hit flesh, before he pulled out his cellphone.

"Hello, this is Cooper."

"Good afternoon, Doctor. How can I help you today?"

"I submitted a Claims Challenge as well as a Reevaluation of Nature Tendency form. I would like to see if there is time available to do the Reevaluation examination today."

"What was your tested Tendency"

"Submissive"

"… You are telling me that you want to get Reevaluated to see if you can pass the Dominant examination?"

"Clearly that is the only logical argument."

"This is highly unprecedented. What proof do you have that you are actually a Dominant instead of a Submissive?"

"The fact that I made sure not to pass the Dominant tests when I was 11."

"Sir, that is not possible. The tests are designed to equate for that"

"Tell me, how many people of assumed IQ of 187 have taken that test"

"I do not know…"

"I know very well how the tests work and it was child's play to bomb it. I will sign the waiver so that it will free your office of any legalities of allowing an assumed submissive take the exam"

"We would have had you do that anyways. There is an open slot available at 2pm. You will have to go to the Dominant Corridor in order to take your exam" There was a clear tone that suggested that he would not be able to even handle going into the Dominant section of the Facility. He rolled his eyes.

"Affirmative. I will see you then" Sheldon hung up before any discussion could take place. He looked at the clock before he sat down in his seat, placing his hands on his knees. This was going to be one record he was not going to be proud to break. He looked to the bedroom and put his cellphone back into his pocket, taking some form of peace from the fact that he was doing this for someone who was worth it.

An hour later Penny and Sheldon found themselves in the foyer of the Testing Facility. Penny gave Sheldon one last hug before she was escorted down the hall leading to the Submissive testing area. Sheldon stood there with his hand behind his back. He looked at the time, wanting to make note of this moment because it was the moment when his life would take an irreversible paradigm shift. He turned to his right and headed down the hallway that led to the Dominant section. He walked up to the desk that was in front of a set of four doors.

"I am here for my Reevaluation examination. I am Cooper."

The man behind the desk gave him a raised brow before sliding a clipboard over with a waiver of rights on it. It was to make sure that he knew he was taking his mental state in his own hands while taking this exam. He gave his signature before he waited expectantly.

"The last door on your right will be your examination room. You will be taking your exam with a group of Betas that are trying to achieve Alpha status. Please…tread carefully and just know that you can end the exam whenever you want. There is also an Alpha in there with you. They are a Quasi-Alpha though. Good Luck" The man recited his piece sounding very doubtful that he would make it passed the door. Sheldon gave the man a nod before walking to the appointed door.

He grabbed the end of his shirt and tugged it down, straightening it out. He rolled his neck a bit before he stood straight and walked through the door. He closed the door behind him. He paused, seeing what looked like the front of a house in front of him. He looked around and found that it was indeed the front of a house, only it was set up inside the floor.

'Interesting' He thought as he ascended the stairs and opened the house door. There in the house, were people….partying. There was music, alcohol and a lot of people. He looked at the ceiling, letting out an exasperated sigh. He figured it would be something like this.

He stood outside on the fake porch, with his eyes closed and let his facade slip away. He mentally let his true self, the part of him that he never allowed to exist come to life. He hated how right it felt to accept that part of himself. It was proof that he was not a Homo Novus he liked to think he was.

He took a step into the house and silence fell in the room. The conversations stopped and the only sound that could be heard was the loud music. He gave everyone a nod before scanning the area, making notes about the layout. He noted in the back right hand side of the house was a set of stairs. He logically assumed that the stairs would led the the next floor of the Testing Facility. He walked into the room, hands clasped behind his back as he watched everyone interact. He noticed some people walking up the stairs. He figured that was his next logical move.

Before he could get to the stairs a woman intercepted him.

"Hey, uh, I am Linda. Nice to meet you. O-oh here comes my friend Mark" She gave him a smile. Sheldon ignored her for a moment to watch as a charming looking man walked over to them. The man seemed at ease in the situation, which led him to believe that the man and the woman were both here together to try and get Alpha statuses. It was obvious they were Betas at least.

"Hey new guy, I am Mark. See you have met Linda already. Do you have any idea what to do here?" The man asked as he laid an arm over Linda's shoulders. Sheldon's hearing picked up a strange set of sounds. He looked over to where the stairs were. The sound was coming towards them from the opposed direction. He walked towards the stairs, speaking to them as he moved.

"No, but I suppose we are to ascend the stairs." He said as he cut between a man who was holding a woman's wrist as they walked up the stairs, coming from down the opposite hallway. The woman stumbled a bit on the first two stairs, but Sheldon reached back and grabbed the woman, righting her and giving her a small smile before escorting her up the stairs, with his hand on her waist. The man who had once held her wrist gave him a stern look before walking up the stairs and disappearing in the crowd of people in the upper area.

He let the woman go with a passing nod before he surveyed the new floor. This room was, again, filled with people, only this time there was a beer pong table on one side, a pool table opposite to it, a bar near the pool table and a set of stairs just to his left. He made his way into the room as soon as the quieted room began to fill with noise once more. He found it rather annoying that the entire room stopped to stare at him when he walked into the room. He looked down at his shirt finding nothing on it. He rubbed his hair, finding nothing there either.

He made his way over the the pool table after figuring out that the room was filled with a couple of Betas save one but the one that was there was not suppose to be there at all. He picked up a Q-stick and leveled it with the table. He did a couple of shots, setting the table up for what he was going to do next. Once everything was set up, he drew the the Q-stick all the way back and smacked the white ball into the black ball hard enough to send the black ball flying off the table. The Black ball smacked a Beta in the head, knocking the man out. He moved back around the table, only to find Linda standing beside him.

"Oh my god, why did you do that?" She asked in an almost scared tone. He waved for the woman to follow him as he walked up to the woman who the Beta male had been speaking to. She looked young. He set his hands down on her shoulders before kneeling down. He gazed into those dazed brown eyes and mentally cursed. He stood up and noticed Mark coming that way. He turned to Linda.

"Take her down stairs and out of the house, please. I think her test is done." He said in strong voice. Linda just nodded dumbly, taking the young girl's hand and walking the girl down the stairs. Mark was by his side once the girls had left.

"Where is Linda going?" He asked, a strange undertone in his voice.

Sheldon turned and leveled Mark with a blank looked before looking around the room once more, making mental notes before speaking to Mark, not bothering to look at him.

"I sent her down stairs to escort that girl out. That girl obviously was in the wrong area, she is clearly a submissive. I can deduce that her mother or father wanted her to be a Dominant so badly that they forced her to come in here. Instead of being taken out like she should have been that Beta led her up here. I noticed them when I first entered the home." He explained in that same condescending tone he used with everyone. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Mark's hands clutched into fists.

As soon as Linda returned Sheldon headed up the stairs once he discerned that there was nothing else to take care of down there. He walked up the stairs, noticing how both Linda and Mark followed him, not really doing anything serious. He figured they knew the drill by now. When they got to the top of the stairs, they found that there were not as many people in the room. In fact there was maybe 35 to 40 people, Sheldon had not had the opportunity to count the number of people when a man walked out of the only door that led out of the room. Sheldon clasped his hands behind his back, wondering what was going on. He took that moment to count the people and make mental notes of everything.

"Welcome Betas. Many of you have been through this examination enough times to know that this is the level which most people get stuck on. This is the Labeling round. On the wall here, I will project a series of short clips, you all will have a few minutes to watch them. They are all new, so there is no chance of you have seen them on a prior exam."

There was a pause and everyone began to chat amounts themselves. Sheldon paused, staring at some of the people for a moment before turning his attention back to the man as he began to speak once more.

"Now, there are four clips. For each clip, you have to decide if the person is a Dominant or a Submissive. At the end of every clip, there will be a number associated with which ever you chose. Each of you will then use that four digit number to enter the room behind me. " He stopped to one side, showing the key pad just to the right of the door.

Sheldon figured it was rather simple. He watched the clips, knowing within the first couple of moments which was the correct answer. Once the last one was over, he was the first one to the key pad. He did not need to converse with the people to figure out the answers. He typed the numbers in and instantly was granted access. The man who had given them the task gave him a weird look. Sheldon ignored it and walked into the room.

This new room was blank. Empty. Nothing but small section of flooring that was three to four inches off the ground. Sheldon walked to that part of the room and stood upon that section. He turned around as more and more people entered the room. He noticed that the people he marked as people of interest were the first to enter. Followed by maybe ten others. That meant that there were 16 people total in the room.

Sheldon remained where he stood, looking down upon those that entered the room. No one seemed to make a fuss that he was either. He knew many people would outside this room, but here they all seemed in their own world. Sheldon looked over the other people's heads as the door opened once more and entered the man who had given their prior assignment. The man looked at him with a strange look before he walked up to the section where Sheldon was standing, standing beside him.

"Okay, now is the final test. All you in this room have proven to be High Level Betas. This final test removes the Betas from the Alphas. Let it be known that it is very hard to be assigned the Alpha Nature as well as the Dominant Tendency. So the way this works, is that each of you will be given a chance to tell the group of anything that was wrong or out of place in this test. There are five serious issues. Quasi-Alphas, better known as Top Betas, will know there is something wrong but not what. Only an Alpha will know instinctively what is wrong. The highest Alpha to date names four out of the five issues that were wrong. If you can point out what is wrong but not why, you are can be considered a Top Level Beta only if you do that for two of the five problems. Any of you can start. We have only five minutes to do this." The man said in a strong voice. Sheldon watched the people look amongst themselves as if trying to figure out what the man was talking about. Sheldon already knew the answer, but he felt the need to restrain himself for the first three minutes. Should no one speak after that, he would tell them all what they were missing.

"Well, I noticed that there is something wrong with that woman Mary over there as well as that other woman Christine. But I haven't been able to figure out what exactly."

That was the only original revelation. Sheldon checked his watch. Three and a half minutes had passed. He figured it was time to get this over with. He let out a sigh.

"The allotted time passed. I have things to get done and I am wasting time playing with you all. I will tell you all exactly what is wrong, that way you all will be banned from ever taking this portion of the test again" He said with a sneer-like tone. He hated how his Natural Tendency worked some times. He looked at the man standing next to him. He stared at him till the other man stepped off his pedestal. He looked back at the group before speaking once more.

"Linda, Mary, and Christine come here. You two," He pointed to two of the men. "You come here as well. Stand before me."

Everyone looked perplexed as the five people walked to stand before the pedestal. He shot Mark a dark look filled with rage before he looked down at the five people. He started with the males.

"You," He looked at the blond man "Are in fact a Submissive. However, you were given the right information to make it this far. Due to you being so close to a Dominant that it would take an Alpha to notice a difference, the Testing Facility used you as a way to decipher out Alphas." The man looked impressed before he gave Sheldon a bow and walked off to one side. Sheldon turned to the other man before he reached out and set a hand on the other man's shoulder.

"You are a moderator, but you suck at it." His hand tightened on the man's shoulder, causing the other man to wince in pain.

"You should have taken that young submissive out of the room as soon as she entered it. But I figured that was also for show, because most Betas will never become Alphas because they lack the true need to protect." With that Sheldon let the man's shoulder go before turning to the three females.

"Each of you women represent the dark side of the Dominant Tendency. Christine, while you are a Beta Dominant, you have allowed yourself to be beat down by society and other Beta Dominants. It shows in the way you hold yourself." He said as he turned to the next woman, Mary.

"You were obviously once in an abusive relationship. While I cannot figure out how long ago it ended, you are obviously still harboring the fear because you never once allowed anyone too close while in this house. You even flinched whenever someone accidentally ran into you." He stepped down and gave her a small hug before stepping back up and turning to Linda.

"You are likely where the other Alpha failed. Being so close, it is hard to notice the truth. This comes from the human flaw that is popularly called Tunnel Vision. Anyone could over-look your behavior as that of a woman who is in need of attention or seeking an easy ride to the top. That is likely what the other Alpha assumed was happening, but I know very differently. You were not seeking to ride my proverbial coat tails up to the top, you were sticking by me to avoid Mark, your abuser. You instinctively seek out the strongest, the Alpha in the group and stick with them." Sheldon said to Linda before he turned to the Proctor of the exam.

"I believe I have passed. Now I must meet my friend who will be out of her own exam in four minutes." Sheldon said with ease, not realizing that the entire room was in shock of what just happened. The man nodded before opening a hidden door behind Sheldon. Sheldon waved at the people in the room before walking out. He found himself standing in another lobby like room. He walked to the man at the desk.

"I wish for you to send my exam results to this address" He pulled out a card from his pocket. He placed it on the desk before taking the elevator down. He made it to the main lobby in time to see Penny walking out of the Submissive section, looking worn and rattled. He watched her face light up when she saw him standing there.

"Hey MoonPie! I hope you were not too bored while I was taking my exam." She said, a look of contentment crossing her face as she walked to him. She seemed more at peace then she had looked walking out of the hallway. He shrugged.

"It does not matter, I am just glad that you finished in time to make it to the Thai food place and market before Halo night begins."

"Of course, Sweetie." They walked out of the building and headed off to get dinner. Little did either of them know that the Secretary behind the desk on the top floor was on the phone, making a couple calls about Sheldon's extraordinary results on his Exam.


End file.
